Bulletin of the American Physical Society
2007 APS April Meeting
Volume 52, Number 3
Saturday–Tuesday, April 14–17, 2007; Jacksonville, Florida
Session R7: Physics Education |
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Sponsoring Units: FEd Chair: Paula Heron, University of Washington Room: Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront Grand 8 |
Monday, April 16, 2007 10:45AM - 10:57AM |
R7.00001: Using Test Generating Software for Assessment Tarlok Singh Aurora Assessment is an important part of teaching and learning. Designing suitable tests and quizzes for assessment is a time consuming task. With faculty's much commitment at work, sometimes it is not easy to find enough time to design a good test before the test day. Searching for and modifying older tests can take considerable amount of time. There is a need to develop a customized test bank that one could use to generate a quiz or test quickly before class time or before a test. A number of commercial software is available for e-learning that has this capability. Some of these are - Test Generator, Examview, Test Pro Developer etc. Application of Examview software in developing a test bank for physics will be presented. A physics test bank, with applications in other disciplines, can be gradually built over time and used to create a test or quiz quickly. Multiple scrambled versions of a single test (and answer sheets) can be created to discourage cheating in a large class setting. The presentation will show how to build a test bank. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 10:57AM - 11:09AM |
R7.00002: ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:09AM - 11:21AM |
R7.00003: Developing state-of-the-art Cosmology courses for undergraduate non-science students Ramon Lopez-Aleman All undergraduate students at the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras are required to take a General Studies interdisciplinary science course as a requisite for graduation. We have successfully developed a new course for non-science majors that deal in current topics of interest including Big Bang cosmology, the uses and misuses of anthropic principle as a philosophical guide for scientists, dark energy and accelerated expansion, string theory and quantum gravity, and the current controversy of Intelligent Design vs Evolution by Natural Selection as explanations for the origins of life on Earth, intelligence and free will in sentient beings. The course was designed with help of philosophers, neuroscientists, biologists and physicists to present science as interesting, exciting, and socially useful sets of ``stories'' to people who usually dislike and misunderstand traditional science courses. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:21AM - 11:33AM |
R7.00004: Teaching physics mysteries versus pseudoscience Fred Kuttner The interpretation of quantum mechanics (and the encounter with consciousness) is contentious and has been called ``physics' skeleton in the closet.'' The reluctance of physicists to share this enigma with students and with the larger public has left the discussion open to the wild claims of purveyors of pseudoscience. The movie ``What the Bleep'' is a recent example. Bringing the enigma into the open is the best way to combat pseudoscience and share the true, deep mysteries that physics has uncovered. I will discuss my own experience and that of colleagues with ways of presenting this material to physics majors, non-majors, and the public. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:33AM - 11:45AM |
R7.00005: Using the QuarkNet Cosmic Ray Detector and e-Lab as an Undergraduate Student Project Kenneth Cecire The QuarkNet (http://quarknet.fnal.gov) Cosmic Ray Detector is a robust, transportable cosmic ray detection system designed for educational use. Over 200 detectors have been installed in high schools, laboratories, colleges, and universities throughout the United States and in several other countries. These detectors are tied into a network by means of the QuarkNet Cosmic Ray e-Lab (http://quarknet.fnal.gov/e-labs). Students and educators can upload data to the e-Lab and use its online tools to analyze not only their own data but any data that has been uploaded from any QuarkNet detector. Datasets may be compared and/or joined together for analysis as deemed appropriate. There is an online poster session in which analysis results may be presented and discussed. The author is a QuarkNet staff member and also in charge of the Hampton University Undergraduate Physics Seminar class; Hampton undergraduate physics students were engaged in construction and commissioning of a detector in fall 2006. In spring 2007, students will continue to commission the detector and use the e-Lab to analyze its performance. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:45AM - 11:57AM |
R7.00006: PR$^{2}$EPS: Preparation, recruitment, retention and excellence in the physical sciences Hugh Gallagher, Sunil Labroo, John Schaumloffel, Paul Bischoff, Nancy Bachman The PR$^{2}$EPS program is a multidisciplinary effort to increase the number of majors attending (and graduating) from SUNY Oneonta with degrees in physics, chemistry, secondary physics or chemistry education and related areas. Components of the program include a walk-in tutoring center, a free, weeklong summer science camp, scholarship opportunities, professional conference experiences, and an equipment loan program for regional secondary science teachers. 2006 was the third year of this NSF-DUE funded program. Evaluation of our progress to date shows that the program is effective at steering students (or at least reinforcing their desire) to studying the sciences in college and retaining them in their science programs. A summary of our goals, challenges and accomplishments, including tutoring center operation and efficacy, activities and operational details for the summer camp, and the overall impact on science programs at a medium sized college will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 11:57AM - 12:09PM |
R7.00007: On failures in education and public policy John T.A. Ely Education of the public and the resulting policies in many matters are grossly inadequate. Included as a small list of four samples of failings in vital matters are: 1. Societal Cohesiveness: A profound change in the school system will yield great benefit for the nation (http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/publicservice.html.). 2. Lack of understanding regarding the coming avian flu pandemic (http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/ElyFluMES.pdf). 3. Severe Hg intoxication from dentistry due to profound multifaceted ignorance (Ely JTA, Mercury induced Alzheimer's disease: accelerating incidence? Bull Environ Contam Toxicol. 2001; 67(6),800-6). 4. The end of the world by global warming due to Christian religion forcing family planning money to be withheld from UN leading to population excess (http://faculty.washington.edu/ely/CO2runaway.html). [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 12:09PM - 12:21PM |
R7.00008: Bringing Technology into college and High School Physics Classrooms Nouredine Zettili We want to present ideas on ways of bringing technology to college and high school physics classrooms. We focus in particular on our outreach initiative in supporting a number of school districts with ways to improve high school physics education. This initiative is part of Project IMPACTSEED (IMproving Physics And Chemistry Teaching in SEcondary Education), a No-Child Left Behind grant funded by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. This project is motivated by a major local need: A large number of high school physics teachers teach out of field. IMPACTSEED aims at helping high school teachers learn and master the various physics topics required by the Alabama course of study. Teachers are offered year-round support through a rich variety of programs: a two-week long summer institute, a series of five technology workshops, and onsite year-round support. Through our hands-on approach, we have identified a number of ways of bringing technology into physics classrooms. A number of technology projects were assigned to the teachers so as to show their students how physics connects to the technological devices around us. IMPACTSEED aims at providing our students with a physics education that enjoys continuity and consistency from high school to college. [Preview Abstract] |
Monday, April 16, 2007 12:21PM - 12:33PM |
R7.00009: Summer Institute for Physical Science Teachers Ponn Maheswaranathan, Cliff Calloway A summer institute for physical science teachers was conducted at Winthrop University, June 19-29, 2006. Ninth grade physical science teachers at schools within a 50-mile radius from Winthrop were targeted. We developed a graduate level physics professional development course covering selected topics from both the physics and chemistry content areas of the South Carolina Science Standards. Delivery of the material included traditional lectures and the following new approaches in science teaching: hands-on experiments, group activities, computer based data collection, computer modeling, with group discussions {\&} presentations. Two experienced master teachers assisted us during the delivery of the course. The institute was funded by the South Carolina Department of Education. The requested funds were used for the following: faculty salaries, the University contract course fee, some of the participants' room and board, startup equipment for each teacher, and indirect costs to Winthrop University. Startup equipment included a Pasco stand-alone, portable Xplorer GLX interface with sensors (temperature, voltage, pH, pressure, motion, and sound), and modeling software (Wavefunction's Spartan Student and Odyssey). What we learned and ideas for future K-12 teacher preparation initiatives will be presented. [Preview Abstract] |
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